GLEN BURNIE, Md. - Former Tiger All-American punter Sean Landeta, who enjoyed a 25-year career as a pro football punter, was one of seven outstanding Maryland natives who were inducted into the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame on Thursday night.
A Baltimore native who graduated from Loch Raven High School, Landeta was part of an induction class that includes former NBA all-star Sam Cassell, professional golfer Fred Funk, women's basketball standout Tara Heiss, world class motorsports competitor and stunt performer Travis Pastrana, former WBC world heavyweight champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman, and former major league pitcher Geoff Zahn.
After a lengthy introduction by Bernie Walter, who endorsed Sean for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sean recognized some of the people who were influential in his career.
He thanked his high school football coach, Ben Petrilli, for giving him the opportunity to kick.
Sean recalled, "It was the August before my senior year. I ran into Coach Petrilli in the hallway. He asked me how my summer was. Then, he said, 'I noticed you kicking the ball around. You seem to be very good at it.'
"I told him, 'I just like messing around with it. Baseball is my sport.' But he asked me to try out for the football team and I did."
Sean added, "I had a really good year as the punter and place kicker and some colleges were looking at me. But Coach (Phil) Albert at Towson offered me a scholarship and an opportunity. I was a 17-year old kid punting for a college football team."
Both Petrilli and Albert were among those in the audience at the dinner.
"If Coach
A four-year standout at Towson from 1979 to 1982, Landeta was the Tigers' punter for four years and served as the Tigers' place kicker for three years. In 1980, he became the first player ever to lead the nation in punting and field goals in the same year. He averaged 43.4 yards per punt and kicked 14 field goals to top NCAA Division II in 1980.
A three-time All-ECAC selection, he finished his career with a career punting average of 42.0 yards per punt. He also scored 148 points and still holds the school record for the longest field goal (57 yards). As a senior, he set the school record by averaging 44.7 yards per punt, a mark that placed him third in the nation. He was named as the first team punter on both the Kodak and Associated Press College Division All-America teams.
He started his professional career in the Spring of 1983 with the newly-formed United States Football League. A 14th round draft pick by the Philadelphia Stars, he served as the team's punter for all three years of the USFL's existence. While punting for Coach Jim Mora, he earned All-USFL honors twice and helped the Stars win two of the three USFL championships.
When the USFL folded after the 1985 season, Landeta signed a free agent contract with the NFL's New York Giants. He joined the Giants at a time when they were one of the top teams in the NFL and he was their punter for eight-and-a-half seasons. During those years, he was a member of two Super Bowl championship teams. He punted for the Giants' Super Bowl XXI team which beat Denver, 39-20. He also punted for their Super Bowl XXV championship team that edged Buffalo, 20-19.
During his years with the Giants, he went to the Pro Bowl twice and led the league in punting twice, he punted 526 times and had a 43.4 average, the second-best mark in team history.
The Giants were the first five NFL teams for which Landeta played and he had the longest tenure of his career with the Giants. After leaving the Giants in the middle of the 1993 season, he was signed immediately by the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams.
From 1993 to 1996, he was the Rams' punter. In his final season with the Rams, he set a career high by averaging 44.8 yards per punt.
In 1997, Landeta punted for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent the 1998 season with the Green Bay Packers. When Green Bay Assistant Coach Andy Reid was named as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Landeta followed him.
From 1999 to 2002, Landeta was the Eagles' punter. In 2003, he returned to St. Louis to punt for the Rams. After two years with the Rams, he returned to Philadelphia for the 2005 season, his final season in the NFL.
A five-time All-Pro selection, he finished his career by playing in 284 NFL games. He punted 1,401 times for 60,707 yards, the second-highest totals in the NFL history. He finished his career with a 43.4 average and was the oldest player ever to punt in an NFL game.
Honored as the NFL's Punter of the Decade in the 1980's and the 1990's, he was also named as the punter on the Philadelphia Eagles' 75th Anniversary all-time team.
Named as the punter on ESPN's 40th Anniversary All-Time Super Bowl team, Landeta played in 18 post-season games in his career and punted 84 times, the third highest totals in NFL history.
He was inducted into the Towson University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
Tickets for the dinner are priced at $50 each and can be obtained by contacting Barbara Walter at (410) 859-0151.
